Free Agent Hot Stove: Corey Kluber

In the 2010s, there were a handful of very good pitchers that dominated that decade. Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer are a few names that come to mind. Fomer Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber was another pitcher that completely excelled in the decade, as he has two Cy Young Awards, and three All-Star Game appearances to show for it. From 2016 through 2018, he was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball during that three year span. He was incredibly durable, as he had five straight seasons of pitching 200 or more innings. However, injuries have caught up to him the past two seasons, as he’s made just eight starts combined in 2019 and 2020. He is now a free agent, so the question is, what teams will be willing to take a gamble on him?

I see Kluber as a “low risk, high reward” option for any team. His price tag is definitely going to be low due to injuries the past two seasons, but if he stays healthy, he can be a major contributor. If he performs anything like he did from 2016 to 2018, he is a top of the line starter. However, he is going into his age 35 season, so he is aging, and it is highly unlikely that he will ever return to anywhere close to where he was talent-wise during that time span.

I believe the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are the two clear front runners to acquire Kluber, with the Yankees having the edge. They need starting pitching, and as of now, they really only have one sure-fire starting pitcher in Gerrit Cole that will be ready for Opening Day. Deivi Garcia and Jordan Montgomery are the two other arms that will likely fill rotation spots when the season starts, but even then, that only makes up three of the five rotation spots. If they could re-sign Masahiro Tanaka to go behind Cole and eat up innings, and throw Kluber in the mix, that has potential to be a great starting trio. Not to mention that Luis Severino and Domingo German will most likely be back early in the season, and they are two starting pitchers that have had significant success in the past. The Yankees have always had a propensity to spend during the offseason, so it is very likely that they will get Kluber.

Another AL East team that is facing rotation woes going into 2021 is the Boston Red Sox. Their rotation in 2020 was atrocious, as they were missing some key rotation pieces. They will have ace Chris Sale and a great two starter in Eduardo Rodriguez coming back in 2021. If they can both stay healthy, that is a great front of the rotation. Nathan Eovaldi has a history of being injury prone, but he was Boston’s best starter in 2020, in his nine starts. Rookie Tanner Houck showed great promise in 2020, as the first-rounder had a terrific 0.53 ERA, seventeen innings pitched. If the Sox could get Kluber to fill out the back end of their rotation, that would be a top tier rotation that is surely capable leading them to the playoffs.

I predict that Kluber will go to the Yankees, and get a one year/$8 million dollar deal, with a team option for the 2022 season. In years past, it would’ve been unthinkable to get Corey for that cheap. However, his stock is way down due to his injury woes. I wouldn’t be surprised if more teams jump in, but I think the Yankees and Red Sox have the best chance at getting him.